Fbafcis isfeppebt



(No Model.)

F. NBPPERT.

PIANO STOOL.

No. 360,169. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

U] "l-ll Il E In ven tort UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

FRANCIS NEPPERT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PIANO-STOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,169, dated March 29, 1887.

Application led October G, 1836.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANCIS NEPPEET, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PianoStools, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

Figure l is a front elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line m x, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line y y, Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are details.

My invention relates to that class of pianostools which have a supporting-leg at either end, and is intended to produce a cheap and effective device for adjusting the height of the seat relative to the base, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A A are the legs or uprights of the base, tied together, by preference, by a cross-girt, and are at their lower ends expanded laterally, to form feet adapted to rest upon the floor.

`B B are bracket-shaped parts tongued and grooved to the opposite edges of the legs or uprights A A.

By preference I groove the uprights near their upper ends upon their edges, and provide the sliding part with tongues, which enter the grooves. I prefer this construction of tongues and grooves, which I call blind tongues, because it enables me to make the lower ends of the brackets it closely to the edges of the uprights, which gives a more nished appearance to the stool than would be possible if the tongues were on the uprights and the grooves in the brackets,while permitting each pair of brackets to be fastened together and afterward slide over the ends of the uprights. However, I do not wish to be limited to the arrangement of tongues and grooves shown.

C is the cushioned top part, which may be either attached permanently to the brackets or may be hinged thereto, so that its position can be inclined.

D d d is a metal plate, the horizontal upper part, D, of which is fastened to the upper ends of the brackets. The lower part of this plate is in the form of a loop er stirrup, one bar, d,

Serial No. 215.484. (No model.)

having ratchet-teeth so inclined that their engaging-faces are at their upper ends, (see Figs. 2 and 4,) the other leg, d, having ratchet-teeth so inclined that their working-faces are at their lower ends. Thus the ratchet-teeth are inversely inclined. The lower loop part is provided with ears, through which screws pass into the brackets,which latter may be of either wood or metal. In practice, however, I prefer to make the entire framework of wood, eX- cept as herein noted.

E is a bar, pivoted at its lower end, at e, to the metal plate.

F is a roclcshaft, journaled at its ends in the legs.

For the purpose of supporting the seat in an elevated position, I employ a pawl or dog, the free upper end of which engages with the ratcheted bar d.

In practice I prefer to use duplicate locking devices at each end of the seat, and to facilitate operating these devices simultaneously I connect both of the dogs with l'the rock-shaft F.

Itis desirable to lock the upper sliding portion to the legs A A, so that the whole can be lifted by taking hold of the seat-cushioned portion C, and to do this I employ a pawl pivoted to the uprights, with its free lower end taking into the ratcheted bar d. So, also, to facilitate simultaneousl y withdrawing all the dogs from the ratchet-teeth, I have invented the device shown at G g H h, of which G is a ring surrounding and attached to one end of the rock-shaft F. g is a pawl or dog engaging with the ratcheted bar d. h is a pawl or dog taking into the ratcheted bar d, and H is an arm or link provided at one end with a slot. These last-referred-to parts G r/ H h are for convenience cast integrally, as indicated in the drawings; but it will be evident upon consideration of their functions that they might be made in separate pieces, and need not be connected directly with each other. The construction shown, however, is a desirable one, particularly for the purpose of operating the pawls simultaneously.

I is a coiled spring connected at one end to rock-shaft F and at its opposite end to the upright A, as indicated at c. This spring tends to rotate the rock-shaft in the direction indicated by arrow 1, Fig. 2.

IOO

J is a sliding bar, mounted at its ends in slots 7c of plates K, which are screwed to the inner faces of the brackets. At each end of this bar there is a spiral spring, L, connecting the bar with the upper end of lever E, which passes through the slotted end of arm H, the slot being of suflicient size to permit the required movement of parts without cramping.

By an examination of the drawings it will be readily understood that when the pawls are in engagement with the ratchet-teeth, as indicated, the upper cushioned part is supported against downward thrust by the pawls h, and

i the entire seat may be lifted by means of the upper portion without lifting or moving the cushion and bracketshaped parts B B relative to the legs A A oft' from the uprights by reason of the engagement of the pawls gg with the ratchet-teeth of the bars d d. Thus the upper and lower portions of the seat are locked firmly in position relative to each other.

By pulling the bar J outward the pivoted bars E will engage with the links H and simultaneously withdrawv all the pawls from all the ratchet-teeth, so that the cushioned part may be raised or lowered at will. When the bar J is released, the springs I il will instantly return the pawls to the positions shown inthe drawings, thereby locking the parts to each other. It will be seen that the employment of the springs L L in combination with the pawls, which are forced toward and into enggement with the ratchet-teeth by the coiled springs, insures that all these operating parts, including the pivoted bars E and sliding bar J, may be kept under such tension as will keep them from rattling when moved, thus making the stool practically noiseless.

While Ihave shown what I believe to b the mode best known tome for carrying out my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction of parts shown, be

nected with the pivoted bars E, or single bar E, when one only is used, by means of a link, in which case I would prefer to pivot the arm H to the bar E and to the paw-lah. The presence, however,'of the springs, or, at least, of the springsI t', insures a more satisfactory operation of the pawl than would under ordinary circumstances be attained if the springs were omitted.

I am aware that apianoseat 'having at either end a downwardly-projecting bar or post provided with ratchet-teeth sliding between two uprights or legs having a pawl' pivoted thereto I has been used, or is old; but by the construction which I have invented I obtain very decided advantages over the prior construction. For instance, in my vstool Iam enabled by combining with a single leg at either end a pair of'bracketsupon opposite sides of such single leg, and a plate secured to the brackets and provided with ratchet-teeth, to provide a wide support forthe seatat either end of such character 'that its hinge will not be subjected to undue strain; that I can conveniently employ two series of oppositely-inclined ratchetteeth with intermediately-arranged pawls, and also provide a convenient support for either end of the sliding bar J.

What I claim isl. In a piano-stool, the combination, with a seat having at either end downward-projecting bracket-shaped parts provided with ratchet-teeth which are inversely inclined, of supporting-legs arranged at either end between the brackets and the inversely-inclined ratchetteeth, and oppositely-directed pawls pivoted upon the legs'and between the brackets, substantially as set forth.

2. A piano-seat having two legs and a cushioned part adapted to move relatively to the legs, in combination with locking devices adapted to support the cushioned part against downward movement, a rock-shaftA between the legs and connected with the locking devices, a bar arranged parallel with the rockshaft and carried bythe cushioned part, and

ioned part adapted to move relatively to the y legs,in combination with a series'of inverselyinclined ratchet-teeth connected to and moving with either end ofthe cushioned part, and two oppositely-directed pawls mounted upon either of the legs, substantially as set forth.

5. A piano-seat having two legs and a cushioned part adapted to move relatively to the legs, in combination with aseries of'oppositely-inclined ratchet-teeth, a pawl with its upper end engaging with one of the series ofratchet-teeth,a pawl with its lower end engaging with the other series of ratchet-teeth, and means for simultaneously withdrawing both pawls from engagement with the ratchetteeth, substantially as set forth.

6. A piano-seat having two legs and a stationary part adapted to move relatively tothe IOO `devices connecting the bar with the rock-shaft IIO legs, in combination with a rock-shaft between the legs, a series of oppositely-inelined ratchet-teeth at either end of the roek-shaft, and two oppositely-direeted pawls at either end of the rock-shaft, substantially as set forth.

7. A piano-seat having two legs and a stationary part adapted to move relatively to the legs, in combination with a rock-shaft between the legs, a series of reversely-inclined ratchet-teeth attachedto the sliding cushioned part at either end of the rock-shaft, and two oppositely-direeted pawls at either end of the roelcshafha `bar arranged parallel to the rockshaft and carried by the'cushioned part, and 15 In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 2o presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS NEPPERT.

Witnesses:

J. HOMER HILDRETH, WILLIAM MARKFsKY. 

